Home sweet home...for now

Greetings from 10/1 Corsica, London N5 1FT.  I thought I’d show you how we live here. It’s a new experience for us as we have never lived in an apartment together. We have a newer 2BR/2BA flat. Probably built around the 1990s. The kitchen, dining and living room are all in one room. We have a patio area that connects to a courtyard with artificial turf. We play fetch there with Reiver. There is even a great potty station behind the flat.

While it’s pretty comfortable here, it has none of the charm of the homes that England is known for. There are plenty of those around -- some built centuries ago. Of course they’ve been upgraded through the years but some things simply can’t be changed. Like stairs so steep that you have to climb up them like a ladder. Low ceilings and door frames from when people were much shorter. It doesn’t take much height to hit your head on a door jamb like this. I’m 5’5” and I do it. Drafty windows, floors that you could never play marbles on, sinking roofs covered in moss. It’s fascinating especially when we consider 19^th century homes in the U.S as ancient.

Our location is great. We’re a 5-minute walk to the Highbury/Islington subway station, part of the London Tube network. It was the world's first underground railway system, opening in 1863 when America was having its Civil War. We can get just about anywhere from there. 

We take buses quite often, too. They continuously run and you never wait for one more than 5 minutes and usually what you need arrives in 1. They’re totally dependable. The bus stops are always covered and they actually show the time the next bus will arrive.

So far the weather hasn’t ever been a deterrent for us to get out and about. We packed for a long winter but haven’t experienced it yet. Our friends keep saying we will.

We have at least 6 pubs within a 5-minute walk from the flat. Really. Most serve food. There’s a pub/brewery on our block that has great roasted chicken. Three of the major markets have smaller branches within…you guessed it, 5 minutes. Once every 2 weeks we head up to a big store via bus and stock up with essentials. We have to carry everything back so it does somewhat limit what you can handle in one trip. Matt always brings his old Air Force duffle bag, which he wears like a backpack to hold much of it. The rest goes in reusable plastic bags. 

The High Street is, can you believe it, a 5-minute walk away and is about a mile long. High Streets are in all boroughs/villages and it means the main/shopping area. There are department stores elsewhere but the High Streets have produce stands, butchers fishmongers, flowers/plants, hardware, salons, barbers, pubs, restaurants, pharmacy. Everything you need wherever you live. See a time-lapse video of our shopping street below.

We like living this way. Between bus train and tube fares, it is drastically cheaper than owning a car and much better for the environment and our health.